


December 19th - Modern Day Mollstrade

by ohdrey89



Series: Mollstrade Advent Adventurous Time Warp 2015 [8]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Awesome Molly, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Morning, Christmas Tree, F/M, First Christmas, Silver Fox Lestrade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 15:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5462423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohdrey89/pseuds/ohdrey89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Advent Calendar of Mollstrade (Mollestrade, Lestrolly) continues.</p><p>December 19th - Back to modern day Sherlock, we find Molly and Greg celebrating their first Christmas holiday together with Greg's kids. Greg likes to decorate. Toby is adorable. And Lestrade thinks Molly is the best woman in the whole world and you'll find out why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	December 19th - Modern Day Mollstrade

**Author's Note:**

> Back to the present day, I hope you'll think this is as adorable as I do. 
> 
> Disclaimer: We didn’t create it, we’re not making money from it. But that’s not going to stop the ideas from coming, so here we all are anyway. We might as well live.

**December 19th - A Modern Day Christmas Surprise**

\---

Greg Lestrade let out a grumble as he stood before the first Christmas tree he and Molly had bought as a couple. It was standing up straight and he had just plugged in the lights, string them around the tree as best as he could. Molly was in the kitchen patiently mixing batter for cookies, she had already finished so many they filled the room in different stages of cooling and being stored in tins. She was now onto the snicker doodles. The house smelled of the holiday, of home, spices, and warmth.

At the time of buying the tree, the act of going to Molly’s favorite place to get a tree felt familiar. Like what he used to do married to his ex-wife, with the kids’ whinging the entire trip until asked to pick out the tree themselves, Emma on his head, Trevor pulling at his mother’s hand to be back at home playing on his gaming systems rather than out in the cold. They would all fight and argue over the right one until Lestrade would point out the one tree that was a bit of everything they were looking for and they would all agree. Those were his last fond memories before the divorce. Even during those moments, he was sure that his wife had been scheming with guys behind his back.

With Molly, he had pointed out tiny scraggly things, trees he thought Molly would go for — the most unloved of the lot that she could barely hang any baubles on but still prove it could be loved (like her love for him, like Toby who she had taken in as a stray). But she had chosen one of the heartiest trees on the lot, standing by the Douglas fir with a proud blush to her cheeks as the cocoa he bought her steamed away ignored. Greg had balked at not just its heights but its size now as it sits in the middle of Molly’s flat. It’s twice as round as it is tall, and it was probably far too big. But it was worth it as he finished hanging garland around its portly bottom.

It stands as an important tree as this is their first Christmas together. The kids are to come later in the night as soon as the ex-wife releases them from her holiday obligations, so Molly pushed Greg to get the tree up and decorated so that the kids had a festive place to come to even if it wasn’t their own home. This wasn’t their first weekend at her flat, but it was their first Christmas with their father after the divorce at Molly’s flat. It felt important. And Greg watched Molly fuss over the whole flat to make everything perfect for the holiday.

Now he finally got to the easiest and best part of decorating the tree, hanging the ornaments. At the rustle of the box, Toby was at the ready and was sitting at Greg’s elbow on the arm of the couch which was moved all the way over in the corner to make room for the tree. All of the furniture and picture frames were moved around the flat to make room for the thing and Greg let out a broad smile up at the tree as it stood proud in the space in front of the fireplace where it would be in until it withered and died. He took a deep breath of pine as he worked lower and lower with the hanging of the bits and baubles Molly had stored in a large tattered old box. Within were all sorts of ornaments in different stages of being broken and repaired. Two thirds of the way through hanging ornaments he ran out of those old ornaments and broke out the new sets of baubles Molly bought at Debenhams. Every time he hung the glittery balls they would dangle and wobble on the branch in front of Toby’s eye, and Lestrade watched with a glare as the grey tabby reached with a curious paw and patted at the balls. They would shake and eventually the cat got the balls to fall on the floor. They’re close enough to the ground that they regretfully didn’t chase the cat away but gratefully they didn’t break. Unfortunately, Greg had to stoop to pick them back up and rehang them with every successful swat of a paw. He was now on his tenth time hanging the same bauble and the cat didn’t know the hair trigger this tree now had on Greg’s temper. Once again the red ball with a matte finish was on the floor. Greg finally had it with Toby and the decorating. He let out a loud growl.

“MOLLS!” Greg needed Molly in here decorating with him instead of baking and he needed it now. She’d know how to handle this.

“Yeah Greg?” Molly was nothing if not understanding. She popped out from the kitchen her hands elevated in oven mitts and looked on as Greg held one of the last Christmas ornaments in his hand and she noted the death glares he was shooting Toby.

“This cat is a right menace! I’ve hung this same ball eleven times now!” He grumbled looking to the cat with a sneer. He reached out to hang the ball and the cat lifted his paw ready to strike. When Greg moved away from hanging the ball, the paw went back down. A tilt of a grey ear and a curious tongue lick was all the detective got from the guilty cat in response to his fiercest inspector’s glare.

“That’s why they’re shatter proof Greg.” Molly dimpled removing one of her oven mitts to come over and pet the criminal offender before shooing Toby to the kitchen where his dinner was waiting anyway. Greg watched this all with his mouth agog. He would’ve loved if Molly turned her ire of the cat on his behalf, but no, she was too happy from baking cookies. Molly went back into the kitchen only to come out brandishing one of her chocolate chip ones (Greg’s personal favorite) still warm from the oven, she popped it into the hard-working man’s mouth and kissed his cheek with warm chuckle. Greg moaned at the taste of the cookie and Molly’s retreating form. The anger dissipated with his mouth being filled with warm chocolatey delight and merely chuckled at the silliness of the life he now lead and finished hanging the ornaments, sitting the old motion angel that came from Molly’s childhood as far up the tree as he could reach.

\---

A fresh plate of cooling cookies were placed on the coffee table just as the doorbell rang announcing the kids were here. Greg couldn’t help the rub of his hands in anticipation as Molly opened the door. Molly and Greg smiled as the kids reached for Molly first before their father for a hug. Out of all of the possibilities for an evil step mother, they knew they lucked out in someone as sweet as Molly, Greg’s eldest Trevor, a bright lad, enjoyed seeing his father’s girlfriend at work as well as the woman’s awkward morbid sense of humor and little Emma adored Toby.

Greg looked to his ex-wife with a strained smile as she stood before them watching the warm picture they made. He knew the look well, there were several Christmases he had spent alone without the kids in recent years and he didn’t relish the familiar feeling he saw in his ex’s eyes.

“Nina.” He nodded to her with a smile, reaching out to pat Trevor’s head, giving a warmer smile to his son.

“Greg.” Nina gave him an even tighter smile. “Molly.” Nina nodded to Greg’s new fling. The more permanent a fixture the woman became in her ex-husband’s life the more a sinking suspicion ran down her spine that even if she didn’t want her ex-husband back the hope that he would be the desperate one of the two was gone. Now that he was with someone he seemed happy with, and she was barely keeping her life together (the guy she dumped Greg for promptly dropped her after the divorce papers were signed and she became readily available), the roles were annoyingly reversed. There was nothing for her to rub into her ex-husband’s face now.  It was terrible thing being alone at Christmas.

“Hello, Nina! Nice to see you. Thank you for dropping off the kids.” Molly smiled genially, somehow managing to be completely without awkwardness despite the tension that rolled between Greg and his ex-wife.

“No problem.” Nina smiled coolly as the kids drew Greg and Molly’s attention away from her and to the decorations around the room. Nina looked on the scene and knowing that she was the interloper. “Well I’ll see the kids on Monday.” Nina nodded turning to go across the road back to her car.

“Nina!” Greg’s ex-wife turned to look at who called her and saw it was Molly. “You know if you want you could stay for dinner. It’s just shepard’s pie but you’re more than welcome to enjoy a bit of the holiday with the kids before you go.” Molly smiled encouraging, wrapping the sweater she wore about herself tighter to brace against the cold London air. It was Christmas Eve, and Molly didn’t want the kids’ mother to be without them for the holiday. Trevor was already twelve and Emma seven, times like these were precious.

Nina smiled despite the feeling of loneliness that was slowly enveloping her. “Thanks, Molly, really. It’s a sweet offer but it’s their father’s time with them now.” Nina hugged the woman in thanks and bid farewell with a curt nod. Molly breathed in a sigh before returning to her flat.

\---

The next morning Molly was wrapped in Greg’s embrace as they slept. The sun was barely in the sky and Greg grumbled against the shred of multi-colored light that slowly worked its way across his eyes from the door. Little feet crept silently across the room to climb into the bed. Greg cracked an eye open see little Emma crawling her way up the bed to reach him. Trevor looked on from the foot of the bed, too old to go jumping onto the bed like he did when he was very little and Emma was just a newborn.

“Daddy! Wake up! It’s Christmas!” Emma shouted in whispers. Molly shoulders shook with laughter though her eyes were still closed.

“Are you an elf?” Greg rumbled pretending to feign sleep.

“Daddy!” Emma scolded pulling at Greg’s eyes so that they would open.

“You don’t have a white beard so you can’t be Santa.” Greg wondered sitting up with a great big yawn. Emma giggled as did Molly, especially now as she looked onto Greg being a splendid dad to his kids.

“No Daddy! Molly! Its Christmas morning! Time to open presents!” Emma lisped through her teeth with a barrage of giggles as Greg tickled her in and around her pink pajamas.

“Yeah Dad, Molly, get up its time for presents!” Trevor laughed, sitting on the foot of the bed, watching his younger sister interact with his father and Molly.

“Oh I see, it’s Christmas!” Greg nodded in understanding as it finally ‘dawned’ on him.

“Yes Greg and the sprites are wanting gifts.” Molly smiled stretched to work her way out of bed. She walked into the bathroom. The look she gave Greg was warmer than it had any right to be while they were in front of the children as she closed the bathroom door. Greg grumbled as his kids looked to their father running low on patience.

“Alright, alright, you both go sit on the couch and wait.” He paused their protests with a stern look. “Wait now, and Molly and I will be out in a minute to get the hot chocolate and toast started. Then we’ll open presents.” Greg instructed pushing Emma and Trevor to the door.

“Promise?” They echoed as they were edged out the door.

“Promise! We’ll be right out so don’t even think about opening those gifts. One rustle of paper and Santa will woosh them all out the chimney before you can say Bob’s your uncle!” Greg warned closing the door on his children before enjoying his own private Christmas gift with his lovely Molly.

\---

It was well into the present opening and Christmas was in full swing. The crackers were popping and multicolored crowns adorned everyone’s head as Molly opened her last present.

Molly looked down with a gasp, “Ursula Le Guin. Thank you Greg!” Molly reached down to where Greg kneeled by the chair she sat in to give him a kiss. 

“Well you said you wanted to read her work.” He chuckled as a blush came to the tips of his ears. He didn’t miss the happy looks his kids gave them, at watching their father happy. “Well that’s it for the holiday!” Greg rubbed his hands. “Now we get to clean up…” Greg was starting to gather the tissue paper and ripped wrapping paper that dotted the floor before Toby could find disinterest in his new toys or the tassels of Emma’s new scarf and turn his attention to the paper that was littered all around.

“No wait Dad, there’s one more! The small square one just there!” Trevor pointed to the box that was hiding in the shadows thrown by the twinkle lights.  

“Oh who’s it for?” Greg grumbled happily pulling out the box. He looked down at the tag dangling from it. “Oh, it’s for me! From Molly.” Greg boomed a laugh while everyone looked on to his opening the suspiciously small package. He tore it open and looked up to Molly with the raise of an eyebrow as he saw what laid inside the small thing. He pulled out a yellow binki. The detective inspector’s jaw dropped. He looked up to Molly his mouth open and his eyes tearing. “Does this mean…?” Greg wondered aloud as Trevor and Emma looked from Molly back to Greg not understanding what was taking place between the couple.

“Yeah- uh- Kids… Trevor- Emma- Greg. I-I’m pregnant.” Molly smiled as her cheeks filled with a blush. She looked on at the three shocked faces and let out a timid, “surprise!”

“Woohoo!” Greg shouted reaching up to Molly, to wrap up into a kiss, his broad hands cradling her head so he could show her just how happy he was with this development. Trevor and Emma jumped up and down, Emma even using the couch to hop on as they cheered.

“We’re going to be a sister and brother again!” Trevor and Emma shouted before crossing the room to hug their father’s girlfriend. They danced around the sitting room scaring the cat as Molly and Greg laughed on.

“I love you Molly.” Greg intoned smoothing the hair away from Molly’s face. “Happy Christmas.” Greg grumbled, his voice full of emotion. He kissed her gently and reached down to pet her stomach where their future was growing inside.

“I love you, too. Happy Christmas, Greg.” Molly echoed beaming a blissful smile covering his hand with hers. Their first Christmas together and it was one to last a lifetime. 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblog](http://ohdrey89.tumblr.com/post/135511745778/december-19th-a-modern-day-christmas-surprise) it, spread the word!
> 
> Someone really needs to gif Toby and Lestrade as he decorates the Christmas tree. Or they need to write that into another yuletide adventure. I need adorably funny but angry Lestrade in my life.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are our currency of love, spread the wealth around.


End file.
